Plan, Practice, Improvise - Understanding the Three Types of Play in Games - Extra Credits
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- čas přidán 21. 10. 2014
- Successful game design requires focus, which means the designer must understand what types of play best suits their game and make sure that all the game mechanics support it. Planned gameplay allows many different solutions but gives players time to review their options, practice gameplay encourages strategic thinking within fixed maps or rules, and improvised gameplay forces players think on the fly to adapt to random elements.
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I watch Extra Credits even though I'm not and don't plan to be a game developer.
same
You learn how to play a game:like a giant tutorial
I don't even play games. I just appreciate the effort to deconstruct a medium.
Max White
I'm curious, has this channel's effort to deconstruct video games through various topics ever peaked your interests into playing any video games? Not judging by the way, I just want to understand your point of view more.
Oh well I enjoyed games when I was a kid. They're just a time sponge, and I have other things I like to do with that time more. Plus, I work as a computer programmer, so spending my spare time looking at a screen solving problems isn't that appealing.
I really like this distinction. Another really great example for primarily 'planned' gameplay outside of the card examples would probably be Monster Hunter. You know roughly what you're up against and usually what to bring for each encounter, and how prepared you were usually is the deciding factor in how it'll go.
Extra Credits drinking game: Drink every time HearthStone is used to illustrate a point.
I don't want to die of alcohol poisoning
Want to make it more hardcore? add Chrono Trigger to the list.
And 'GO'
I don’t want to die though.
Or Wow
I felt proud when I caught on the 'Cut' reference
It is episodes like these that make me look at games in a different light. Though I do not wish to be game designer myself, it helps me understand possibly what they designer was looking for in any particular game. I can rattle off all the games that I have played and (now) have a better understanding of what types of game play they have. Love the channel, Love the discussions, the explanations are easy to follow and understand. Never top doing this, keep it up :)
its like looking at books in a new way, when you first learn about symbolism in school and then you start to look for it everywhere, and you find it, but with games.
Exactly!!!
For my Fellow Tropers.
Plan: Xanatos Speed Chess
Practice: Try Everything
Improvise: Indy Ploy
You guys should really do a video on how to make a Practice kind of game harder but without making it feel unfair or cheap... I'd really like to see that!
"...needs to be cut." **HM01** Almost spit my drink all over my screen. :'D
But that HM01 pun though. I really appreciate that.
Watching this video I felt like Strategy games like Starcraft and League of Legends encompassed all 3 game play types, but when you described plan [in a way I didn't expect] I can see it's merely a Plan type of game I'm looking at.
I really thought you were going to talk about the elite four/gym leaders in Pokemon games for the planned gameplay section. You know what element type they're going to hit you with, but you often have to improvise to beat them.
I would say its more the game as a whole. You get various trainers with various teams and you build your team to be able to reliably deal with them. If you play startegically and change pokemon often then you dont end up with a lvl 90 starter after the 4th gym.
actuatedgear This gets me thinking. If someone plays Pokemon thinking that it is a grindy RPG where you make your team Lv80 and crush the Elite 4, would that mean there is none of the 3 elements in play? Is there a 4th one? Like, "emotion"? Because, like, you get attached to your Charizard and want to become the champion? I played like that when I was 12, and I don't think I improvised nor planned nor practised at all.. because the game is in Japanese and the only thing I can practise is to try to figure out which moves do damage and which don't.
tobytse99 I'm portuguese and played the game when I was 6-10 yo, practically not knowing any English word, yet I've passed it many times with different teams.
I think the whole game is more focused on improvisation than on the other stuff but there are these moments where it's just plan. You gotta make a team that can possibly beat every type with the pokemons the game has at disposal and that's improvisation at its rawest form, however with gym leaders you know what to expect generally, you know your electric pokemon would easily defeat a water gym leader and therefore you put him first to sweep his whole team from the start. But there's also some improvisation into it because a Swampert or a Lanturn would totally screw up your plan and you need to change your tactic.
Blaze fp
tobytse99
Or you can take your Typhlosion and use it to wipe out EVERYONE, because thats your starter and its your best friend in the world...and the rest of your team is legendaries because they look cool and they're SUPPOSED to be the strongest.
I played in english and honestly Itried to stay true to the show narrative when I got yellow but ash doesnt catch Mewtwo and you know I damn well did.
The only time strategy style planning really comes into play is against human trainers and these days its mostly just teams of level 100s using every special item and insane training to turn most battles into 1-hit-wipe-fests.
These games should be all about strategy but they just arent.
They give you the possibility to play it by strategy or by sticking to one pokemon to the end, true but the handheld games were created so that you could interact with your pals, doesn't matter if you have a lvl100 thyplosion, when you fight with your friends they'll easily beat you with a lvl80 universal team. That's why it's worth it to get a general team instead of a single type one.
About playing against human trainers, I don't think it has much to do with planning since you don't know with what pokemons they're going to play with. The game is so well done from the start that there are no obvious pokemons (apart from the legendaries, I'm talking OU only) or teams, any team can be beaten by virtually any team (assuming equal conditions ofc).
Oh and btw I used to catch the legendaries as well but after a while I started wondering from the game's perspective why they were there and now I just defeat them playing as well as I can.
Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for creating content and dialogue that is, to my knowledge, completely unique. I have been a long-time watcher and a lot of the game design ideas that you talk about have really revolutionized my own strategies towards teaching my students. I can only imagine how difficult it is to consistently pump out content like this for so long. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Pokémon and Avatar the Last Airbender references. You sir, are on fire.
This is easily one of my favorite videos yet, an excellent lesson on how to find a reason for your design choices! Well done, Extra Credits.
Monster Hunter is a great example of all three categories of play. When you encounter a monster for the first time, you improvise.You have to practice understanding the monster's tells to know when and where to dodge and counter, and learn what effects a monster does and doesn't have. Once you understand those from practice, you prepare by bringing an optimal armor set and weapon, bring potions, maybe antidotes and cleansers, whetstones if you are a blade master or coatings and pellets if you are a bowgunner.
Huh.
It really seems like my overall style when it comes to making RPGs leans heavily towards "planned" gameplay. Because the player is able to formulate a general strategy when it comes to using skills (or in my current game, actually CHOOSING a "build" of skills to use", but they can never ever be sure what an enemy is capable of the first time they see one, and that goes double for the bosses, who on the harder modes are all about taking whatever you have and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.
The planned gameplay segment also reminded me a LOT of the Etrian Odyssey games. You can build your own party and choose their skills, but you can never really be sure just what's around that corner and how it might throw a monkey wrench into your plans.
I love that kind of gameplay, personally.
You scared the crap out of me. I thought I had been hacked for a sec... then... I read your name.
...Wait, I didn't post tha-
OH! LMAO! We have the same Avatar! XD
Aegix Drakan
I just realized, yours is more zoomed in than mine.
I love how much you guys mention War of the Lions in these videos, it's my favorite game and I've never met another person who has played it for some reason.
Oh my, using HM01 as the "thumbnail" for cut, perfect xD!
I greatly appreciate the work and love that goes in to each and every one of your episodes. Especially the ones where James is indulged. - Some game designer.
It's really fun learning these kind of "structures" so to call them, helping me identify games better that I'm playing. Plan, practice and improvise are all very much present when playing WoW arena, and I just found out that I have yet to learn the "plan" part since I'm more of a "practice and improvise" player.
In general I simply prefer improvising and doing stuff on the fly. It's the kind of person I am. Interesting to put all of that into perspective. Thanks, EC! :D
I think a good example of planning (surprisingly) is getting a KEM Strike (or MOAB or Nuke) in Call of Duty. Even though Call of Duty is more of a Improvise game, people going for that 25 killstreak normally have a plan weather it's rushing around the sides of the map, spawn trapping, covering one area, or camping a building. Of course, you might find some situations where you need to improvise like maybe to pick up a gun off the ground or use one of your killstreaks, even though you planned on how you were going to get it. Great video guys, keep it up.
I agree with your GTA example of improvization to an extent. Running unexpectedly from the cops the first time relies on a great deal of improv skills, but subsequent random run ins with the cops require less so because you learn (as your are running from the cops) what works best to get away and what doesn't. It then begins to incorporate parts of Plan and Practice as well.
My two cents, great video as always!
I would totally recommend anyone going into game design to watch every single video about gaming on this channel.
Considering the topic and the recent event of Crimefest, I can say I love Payday 2 for it's plan elements. Before a heist you have to correlate between the rest of the team on approach (stealth or loud, if stealth should we have a heavy guy or two waiting outside in case the stealth approach fails), weapons (we have one sniper rifle and a shotgun so I'll bring an assault rifle for general support and utility, do we need a buzz saw), supplies (who brings the ammo, or meds, do we need shaped charges), and now perks as some will not stack with each other (please just one Crew Chief in a team). There are victory strategies that work most of the time, but with a small hint of randomization that adaptation needs to be taken into account. For example one of the heists, Big Bank, has a huge vault door that you need to defend while the drill is at work, then transport the loot bags once you break in. Every time the door is placed in one of four different locations, and the structure of the pre vault room changes as well on the enemy vantage points. Sometimes you get a terrible placement and have to adapt to the issue. Other jobs will have subtle changes that people will take for granted (like the patrol of a single guard), but they matter on some level. However the core of the game is around planning and practicing that plan.
Whoever took that route in GTA DEFINITELY had 5 stars XD
Took a long time to get down that tunnel
And that level design of that Mario level @ 3:40 is GOOD XD
episodes where you talk about game design theory are always my favorite.
really liked this video! I love it when you guys focus more on the gameplay aspect of games rather than narratives.
I like these categories, though I don't think calling them kinds of play in games is all too fitting. I think types of challenges might be more appropriate? some challenges require you to plan, some a specific skill that can be practiced, and some just need you to adapt on the fly... though challenges might not be precise enough either.
I wouldn't really consider these types of play, because I don't think any of them are inherent to play. While I'm planning out my strategy for the next challenge, I wouldn't say that I'm playing, but that I'm preparing to play. with practice, I suppose I am playing... but that might not be specifically the case. maybe you need to jump and shoot rapidly while ascending? you might just stand in place and practice holding down jump while rapidly pressing the shoot button. Improvise just means that no preparation was made or even perhaps allowed. I would even add memorization to the mix as it's own category.
games like all the mega man platformers are highly memorized games, particularly the classic series for example. A big part of the game is to memorize what happens when and where, and where to be when it happens. You put this under practice, and though I think it usually takes practice to memorize it, I think practice is more suitable for games that require players to have a particular skill in order to take on a challenge. In mega man, 2 highly necessary skills are varying jump height, and the ability to press the shoot button rapidly while ascending. these skills allow you to simply improvise in any given scenario. but memorization allows you to plan for the next challenge? this is getting complicated...
Hello Extra Credits. I'm still in high school but I'm planning to become a game designer after college. Possibly as an indie/creative director in a best case scenario.
I've had an idea stewing in my mind for a long time now about a game I could make not as my first, but after several years of making games. Just in the context of this, I think this video helped me a great deal come to further understand my concept. With little to no practice gameplay, heavy emphasis on improvisation and planning gameplay.
Mostly in the fact that you have either no idea what to expect, or can aquire a vague idea. Details of said vague idea are things like environmental hazards and enemy types, but not potential elemental enemy variants, natural disasters or unexpected minibosses.
Granted in a perfect world, the player could still improvise through these hazards, but playing around them would reward the player with that kind of ease and satisfaction of seeing a general plan fall and fit dynamically into a mould.
The HM01 for Cut was genius! Love the references, keep up the good work.
Great Episode! One of the best actually!
I think "Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor" expertly balances these three types of game-play, through a masterful execution of several design techniques. I would love to see an episode that touched on the design of this game, either to showcase what they did right, or to illuminate flaws I missed, or both! :)
Thank you for this video, Extra Credits. If you would asked me before what plan gameplay is, I would have told you it's a combination between practice pay and improvise play. Thank you for teaching me not to oversimplify it to that
Epic! I totally love this episode. As my own game approaches beta testing, this will be invaluable to me.
*mind blown* As always, fantastic job guys
As a casual speedgamer/viewer of spelunky, it's interesting that you mention it as a heavily improvisational game. While this is certainly true, it only remains so up to a certain skill measure at which point the game becomes very predictable; while every floor continues to be different, it only differs by a set of modules that are consistent in their form, if not quite their exact content (however, any given module can only vary based on crates or chests or gems contained; a shop module meanwhile only varies based on what's contained in the shop, whether it be a bomb shop, an item shop, a kissing booth, or so on). So at a certain point of skill, Spelunky becomes a game of, again, practice. And the mention of spelunky here speaks to something broader.
I've noticed for a long time that extra credits tends not to touch too heavily on what happens when players approach (but not explicitly reach) a skill ceiling for a game. I can imagine this being for a few reasons; perhaps they're not in the forefront of your minds as designers and you don't design towards that because of personal preference (and I certainly have never designed a video game myself) or perhaps relying on the type of players who want to pour hours into mastery of a game is unrealistic for driving sales. Regardless, I think it warrants mention, indeed perhaps a video of its own.
Another epiphany caused but one of your videos, awesome :D
This was really enjoyable. I'd love to see more episodes about taxonomies used in the business. The one James uses frequently seems to cover most of the expectations a developer has for a player. Yet, that brings up another good question. The main point of Metal Gear Solid 2 was not understood until years after it was released, and the initial outrage of the game was legendary because it was purposefully marketed as another chapter in Snakes story rather than the introduction to Raiden's. The director had high expectations of his audience almost on the level of a piece of art. It was a postmodern game that relied on manipulating it's audience to serve a message to them. How and why are these games created? The MGS series is somehow ludicrous and thought provoking at the same time, and it's produced a very distinct director - one of the best in the industry. What makes a Kojima game?
Nice EP :)
Yes! more game design episodes!
I think this works well combined with the earlier episode on Aesthetics of Play. I was just thinking earlier today about how much Terraria relies on discovery as its aesthetic, and I see after this that it also focuses heavily on planned gameplay with a heavy dash of improvised.
Great video!
Your discussion of planing gameplay made me think of the Wargame: Red Dragon and the wargame series which are real time tactical games done on a HUGE cold war scale. They game play has a lot more tactics than most strategy games and I would say since there is not much of a resource/infrastructure system in the game. The strategic element comes in the ability to build your army in advance from 1500 units all with loads of statistics. This planing of armies and which to use for a specific game is well, a good example of a planning element in a game that also provides lots of opportunity for improvisation since you are limited to the set variety and quantity of units you choose.
Excellent video.
Keep up the good work, EC! I just marathoned all, and I do mean ALL, of your videos in the past couple of weeks, and your stand against GamerGate has made me admire you guys that much more.
OMG the puns! I know you always have puns, but I'm still laughing about the ones in this episode
Also just for the record, I love the design theory video :D
great topic!
This is very helpful. You all rock. :)
I liked the episode a lot. I just wanted to point out that, this is the kind of thing I was expecting from Design Club; only richer, deeper, and more exemplified. (For a Game Design enthusiast audience)
Okay, while the Pokemon references were nice overall, special props for the HM01 gag.
That just made my day.
There's an Antichamber puzzle which might as well be called 'The practise-gameplay-at-its-most-basic puzzle'. It's called 'falling forward' and the quote after completing it is 'Failing to succeed does not mean failing to progress', I think.
Design theory episodes are the best. Just the best. 2nd best? Detailed breakdown of a section from a concrete game, like you did for Skyrim's intro. Speaking of which, when is the next Design Club video?
Very interesting taxonomy, it really comes together when you understand them three as three different components of gameplay. None the less, I feel like they are very rouge-like oriented, even if it can be applied to other genres.
Excellent! I love getting new tools for my belt! I need to build something... more importantly I need to finish building things.
you guys should make an episode talking about designing the holy trinity of RPGs: the Warrior, Mage, and Thief. Because too often do I see people messing up these three fundamentally different gameplay styles. I really think it would be interesting to learn how to properly craft gameplay styles that are very different but at the same time balanced out against each other.
As you described the planned gameplay I immediately thought about the one I've been working on to get to 100% completion : Assassin's Creed Black Flag.
You go into the mission not knowing quite what to expect(improvise) , scout the area and formulate a plan(planning), then as you start to execute your plan there's some guard you didn't notice and you fail or react fast enough because of prior experience of situations that were similar(practice).
For me they found a sweet spot with Black Flag. I've enjoyed playing AC2 story arc through, but hated 3 to the point of not even playing it through once. I'm not able to really point out what has been changed either, if it's just the setting and character or something deeper underneath.
I like how some games start with improvisation, but require more practice as the game gets harder, the best example is Guitar Hero type games.
Also games like Starcraft are 'plannng' games, but to get your plan to work every time requires a lot of practice to get the micro mechanics down pat. Eventually something goes wrong with your plan and you have to improvise to get out of a situation as well.
Nice video! Yes! Amazing!
These guys are the best
One of the more important parts of Game Design many forget is Level and Asset Design, specifically under Usability. In particular, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006. That game had a tendency to inject the player into a set of minigames on a regular basis, and many of those minigames required a Practice style of play; unfortunately, when you failed to succeed on the first try, the game would kick you out to the main game and force the game to reload all of the assets the minigame required, resulting in a very lengthy time between each attempt; that was single-handedly the most frustrating design choice in that game, not counting the bad control scheme in the speed run stages. All that had to be done to fix it was to stop the player when he loses and ask him if he wishes to retry the stage while the assets were still resident in memory, and modify the punishment / reward system to accommodate rapid replay or endless continues. It's a problem that plagues even newer games, like DmC Devil May Cry.
Lightopus is a great mobile game and 90% improvised game play 10% planned game play.... AND I LOVE IT!!
Planning is my favourite!
Hotline Miami is a good example of a Planned gameplay. You can see the layout of the house and get a sense of guard/weapon layout, but how it goes is very much up to adaptation.
That end music!
Wonderful game theory.
Haven't heard of these types before but it seems I like all 3.
Nice, this video's very good. :3
I certainly love it when a plan comes together.
I love this show.
im glad to see you mentioned yugioh in this episode in the CCG category instead of only MTG
Heheh, don't think I didn't catch your subtle Homestuck reference XD
(6:09 btw)
I would love to see you guys to an analysis of the Souls franchise (demon/dark/dark2)...the places where it excels and the places where it fails...
I've got a feeling there are quite a few lessons that can be drawn from the series, particularly regarding the difference between developing for PC and Console, and how difficulty curves can make or break a game.
It feels like most games are a mix of these, i.e. Magic, you have a plan for your deck, but you also have to improvise with what you draw and what your opponent plays, and you practice against decks so if the opponent presents situation A, you most likely have encountered it. In MOBAs, you can practice something like a jungle route, but have to improvise if someone counterjungles, if you need to gank, or other factors, and you most likely have a plan for your item and skill builds, as well as how you interact with your team. Of course, they have these factors in varying amounts in varying places, but everything feels like it has these elements.
Practice gameplay... Typically, the Sans fight in genocide.
The Toriel fight (at least in pacifist mode), on the other hand, is a great example of an improvise encounter.
Get out of here.
+WishMaker Of course : as you can't die against Toriel(except if you're the kind of idiot who runs into the pellets0, you don't have to practice 😉
Actually, if you move towards the fire it moves away from you, so it's only possible to lose if you're _really_ trying to (which prompts a haunting Toriel sprite when you see what she's like after accidentally killing a loved one).
Dat iz wat i said befor
This is super interesting, and I'd love to hear this in even more detail! Are there any other places we can read up on this, and what other names does this taxonomy go by?
6:34 the best Pokémon reference i have ever seen
I would say that rouge likes really are very heavy into practice as well. As you learn about what the game can throw at you and what combination of things work well, you do better.
Most important thing was forgotten, to actually make a Great game, not just a decent one, no component of planning or improvisation may rely on RNG/wonky AI (e.g. of good and bad at once, in DS the entire undead burg shows off signs of future enmies, but the AI of the drake burning the actual bridge varies from "i burn your naked sprinting ass" to "its chill bro, walk over to the lower level stairs in the heaviest armor you can find, i can wait" and the capra demon dogs not only having no tell positions, but also the zone is so limited that the camera is guaranteed to spazm any new players into death).
I would argue that Raid missions and quests play into this Planned gameplay experience and establish that gameplay type strongly into it. Taking in Destiny's Vault of Glass, the original team took 10 hours to complete it, but with the knowledge gained from their experience, players are now beating it in about an hour or so. Planning out and positioning your team best handle such situations shows how much planned gameplay is involved in even FPS games.
I think a perfect example of a planned game-play based game would be the newest Fire Emblem- Awakening. It perfectly fits the description.
Need an example for a game that relies entirely on the "Thank the gods that 'plan' worked..." feeling, and the satisfaction that comes with beating a level which seemed impossible when you first analyzed it...
Spacechem.
Every time I loaded a new 'level' in spacechem, my first thought was "How the F... am I supposed to do that!?"
... and more than once I actually went to bed after trying too hard (?) for several hours, leaving a level unfinished and DREAMED up a solution, which in itself is a really interesting experience.
I love improv and plan games
A designer may have a certain PPI ratio in mind when designing the game, and most players may utilize that ratio, but there will be some who alter the ratio through natural evolution of the game.
Left 4 Dead comes to mind with this. The levels, for the most part are identical. The paths, crescendos, finale, etc are all fixed. However, weapon, health, ammo, enemy, and boss spawns are semi-randomized; I say "semi-randomized" because there at predetermined spawn locations that can be memorized.
When I played with a team, we all had a plan and contingency plans for all of the possible random elements. We tipped the L4D ratio a bit more toward the practice side of the scale.
Tower Wars is really interesting. It's amazing how much the different placements of the goldmines can make each match feel completely different. Tower defense games are generally all about practice and planning but this very subtle detail forces the player to improvise.
For anyone looking for another example of this concept, I believe Mario Kart 8 is a prime one.
A player can PLAN by designing their kart with designated kart part specs accordingly for the upcoming race, which they may PRACTICE for by familiarizing themselves with the track before the event begins. Unforeseeable circumstances will occur to spice up the race because of the (procedurally) randomized item distribution, with which all racers will have to IMPROVISE reactions to so they may adapt to the situation and thus better their ability to win the race.
did the new artist have a hand in this? I really liked the art choices in this episode!
A refreshing video . Good to see people ignoring all the drama and bullshit going on. Twitter is a terrible medium
This breakdown of game play reminds me of how I've taught myself to look at music. Music consists of three parts: variation, repetition, and contrast where repetition and contrast are kinda opposites, and variation seems like a combination of repetition of contrast, but isn't exactly either, and most music is a balanced combination of the three... except for the works of those composers like Stockhausen that promote the notion that repetition is the worst and most unoriginal thing ever. I just found that those parallels in perception for two very different things to be interesting.
Well, by this system I go with improvise all the way! I prefer more practice than planning, but improvisation is my fav. Also why Zeros are my favorite plane to play.
Planning games I suppose are good depending on how it is delivered. I don't like games that are easily meta'd. "Do this or you will fail." I like flexibility. However, if it is planned but still not easily meta'd, then I don't mind so much.
Spelunky balances these soooooooooooooo well
I think the one I've played is not your Spelunky lol.
I watch Extra Credits to learn the psychological strategies that make games engaging, and I apply them to web applications I build.
The way you described Plan seemed awkward. Combination of Practice and Improvise?
I would define it as 'The type of a game you can get better at by reading a strategy guide.'
As I'm watching this I'm playing Action Henk and I realize how well designed it is :o
Is it just me, or were the drawings extra witty this time? =P Great episode; love the framework!
I would love to see this framework illustrated further in an episode of Design Club. I think I kind of get it, but a more concrete example of how this works in action in a video game would be awesome.
Dark Souls, while primarily a Practice game, has elements of the other two - there's a level of RPG elements and strategically planning your approach to each enemy/area, as well as a lot of improvisation when you're miles from safety and someone invades your game and completely scatters your carefully constructed ideas.
Wow, this video actually enlightened me. I just realized that I despise Practice focused games.
That's understandable. It's one of the main reasons people get frustrated with games like Dark Souls. It just takes some... well... practice.
Why I hate megaman. Dont hurt me.
Juan Becerra
I honestly think Dark Souls is almost an even balance between Practice and Improvise. Despite what people say, the Planning part is almost non existent. The best you can do is have a shield equipped and healing items at the ready. There's alot of repetition and being able to respond to unpredictable stuff. Which then turns back into practice.
Well, shit. Nevermind then, I guess.
+Havoc Jaeger I like practice and improvisation focused games (a mixture of those two, like Dark Souls, Prince of Persia and Darksiders are among my facourites) :S. I despise planning focused games, except puzzle games like Portal.
Good episode. Disagree with the classification of Spelunky any decent player is playing the game at Planned level. The randomisation is small enough that high level planning is not only possible but necessary for decent scores.
When I saw this episode I immediately thought of the D&D game I run and how it applies to me preparing my games.
excellent
I'd say MOBAs are heavy with plan and complimented by improve, with skill being the smallest of the 3. You know what your enemy is capable of, you know what you are capable of, and you know what the map will be, so you plan for a generalized version of your match. Then, you are in the lobby. You adjust your plan based on what allies you have. You may have to play more aggressive because your allies are late game bloomers, or you may decide to play a bit more defensive and farm so you don't give lane but you suddenly have more power than your enemy. Next, you see the loading screen and your enemies are revealed. You adjust your plan once again as you predict who you will be fighting and calculate your odds ("this person counters me...not good" or "awesome! I was hoping to fight a ___"). Next, you enter the map and have a preplanned starter build you execute. You go through your pre-minion spawn plans (assuming there is no invasion) and head to your role. There is then a constant loop of go to lane -> improvise (with an overarching plan in mind) -> return to base and plan (items) -> repeat until lose or win. Most skill comes in with execution, but not much anywhere else.
One of the best examples of a game that balances the 3 perfectly is SSBB. Imagine a Little Mac player who's actually good(whaaaaaat?) And they're playing a Rosalina player, who's also good, in For Glory. They might know when it is and isn't okay to use Jolt Haymaker, or have a general idea of how to combat the 'basic' Rosalina style- that's planning. But at the same time they obviously have to react quickly in the fight, they don't know exactly how this specific player plays- that's improvisation. But the most important thing is having good timing, knowing the delay on Rosalina's attacks or landings/dodges so he can effectively dodge or use Jolt Haymaker to its full effect- there's your practice.
I don't know where I was going with this, just a thought I wanted to share